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<\/p>\nIn early June, the main body of NASA\u2019s upcoming Europa Clipper spacecraft completed construction and was shipped to NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California soon after. The arrival of Europa Clipper\u2019s main body marks a major milestone in the construction of the spacecraft and shows that the spacecraft and its teams are on track for a launch in 2024.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an exciting time for the whole project team and a huge milestone. This delivery brings us one step closer to launch and the Europa Clipper science investigation,\u201d said Europa Clipper project manager Jordan Evans of JPL.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
While the construction of the spacecraft\u2019s main body is complete, that does not mean construction of the spacecraft as a whole is finished. Numerous mission-critical components are yet to be assembled and installed onto the spacecraft.<\/p>\n
However, the arrival of Europa Clipper\u2019s main body at JPL now allows engineers and technicians to complete the construction of the spacecraft, which is set sometime in the next two years.<\/p>\n
Europa Clipper\u2019s main body is large, measuring three meters tall and 1.5 meters wide, and is constructed of aluminum. Additionally, the main body is cylindrical in shape and is already integrated with many electronics, radios, thermal loop tubing, cabling, and propulsion systems which are set to be used during the course of its nearly 10-year-long mission at Jupiter.<\/p>\n
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The main module of Europa Clipper in a main clean room at JPL. (Credit: NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/Johns Hopkins APL\/Ed Whitman)<\/p>\n
What\u2019s more, when Europa Clipper\u2019s solar arrays and other deployable systems are fully extended, the spacecraft will be as large as a basketball court \u2014 making Europa Clipper the largest spacecraft NASA has ever developed for a planetary science mission.<\/p>\n
The main module itself is two aluminum cylinders stacked on top of one another. Each cylinder is dotted with threaded holes that will be used to attach Europa Clipper\u2019s instruments and other spacecraft systems.<\/p>\n
NASA educational resources (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/p>\n Overall, Europa Clipper\u2019s radio frequency module will power eight antennas that will be used to communicate with Earth and other spacecraft. One of these eight antennas is the mission\u2019s large high-gain antenna. Measuring three meters wide, this high-gain antenna will be used to send data back and forth between Earth and Jupiter at fast rates.<\/p>\n Another system attached to Europa Clipper\u2019s main body is its web of connectors and electrical wires. Called the harness, there are more than 640 meters wires and connectors, weighing 68 kilograms.<\/p>\n Europa Clipper\u2019s heavy-duty electronics vault will carry some of the major electronics needed for the mission and is designed to withstand the immense radiation of Jupiter and its surrounding moons. It will be integrated with the main module alongside some of the mission\u2019s science instruments at JPL.<\/p>\n Also inside the main module are two tanks that will hold the spacecraft\u2019s fuel. One tank will hold fuel and the other will hold oxidizer. Additionally, the tubing used to carry the fuel from the tanks to Europa Clipper\u2019s 24 engines is stored inside the main module.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n